Hammurabi and Political Power

In the beginning of the course we looked into various sources of social power in Ancient Mesopotamia. In Uruk: The First City, Mario Liverani emphasizes the importance of ideological and economic power in shaping society. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a reflection of the military source of power in society. When we look at King Hammurabi, however, we see Michael Mann's forth source of power at play, which is political power. By studying the reign of Hammurabi it is clear that he was a good politician.

Starting his reign in 1792 B.C. Hammurabi stayed in power for the next forty three years based off his ability to lead people. He took over the position of his father during the First Dynasty of Babylon, as the king of a city state with that was about 60 by 160 kilometers in size. From there he expanded his kingdom and annexed surrounding city states. While doing so, however, he managed to be a good king to his people by “establishing justice in the land,” a reference to his cancellation of debts as a sort of royal favor. During a tough economic period, where average citizens had to pledge their property, land, and sometimes even themselves to creditors, this action from a king helped them greatly. Also, he later issued two additional cancellations of debt during his rule. Hammurabi also played the role of a “good king” in other ways. He set up the system of temples within each town to properly take care of the gods, a practice that was most definitely important to his people. In addition to this, he created a new irrigation system that would help with agriculture, and protected his people from war. Hammurabi’s social power, as we see, came from his ability to please his constituents, as any good politician would do. It is difficult to point out instances where he abused or oppressed his people. He ruled over a diverse group of people, yet was able to make compromises and use his power to give them a reason to appreciate his kingship. And with that, he was able to gain even more power and hold it for such a long period of time.